The Spectral Evolution of Convective Mixing White Dwarfs, the Non-DA Gap, and White Dwarf Cosmochronology
| dc.contributor.utaustinauthor | Chen, E. Y. | en_US |
| dc.creator | Chen, E. Y. | en_US |
| dc.creator | Hansen, B. M. S. | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2016-10-28T19:36:16Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2016-10-28T19:36:16Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2012-07 | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | The spectral distribution of field white dwarfs shows a feature called the "non-DA gap." As defined by Bergeron et al., this is a temperature range (5100-6100 K) where relatively few non-DA stars are found, even though such stars are abundant on either side of the gap. It is usually viewed as an indication that a significant fraction of white dwarfs switch their atmospheric compositions back and forth between hydrogen-rich and helium-rich as they cool. In this Letter, we present a Monte Carlo model of the Galactic disk white dwarf population, based on the spectral evolution model of Chen and Hansen. We find that the non-DA gap emerges naturally, even though our model only allows white dwarf atmospheres to evolve monotonically from hydrogen-rich to helium-rich through convective mixing. We conclude by discussing the effects of convective mixing on the white dwarf luminosity function and the use thereof for Cosmochronology. | en_US |
| dc.description.department | Astronomy | en_US |
| dc.description.sponsorship | en_US | |
| dc.identifier | doi:10.15781/T2BG2HD0B | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Chen, Eugene Y., and Brad MS Hansen. "The Spectral Evolution of Convective Mixing White Dwarfs, the Non-DA Gap, and White Dwarf Cosmochronology." The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 753, No. 1 (Jul., 2012): L16. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.doi | 10.1088/2041-8205/753/1/l16 | en_US |
| dc.identifier.issn | 2041-8205 | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/2152/43011 | |
| dc.language.iso | English | en_US |
| dc.relation.ispartof | en_US | |
| dc.relation.ispartofserial | Astrophysical Journal Letters | en_US |
| dc.rights | Administrative deposit of works to Texas ScholarWorks: This works author(s) is or was a University faculty member, student or staff member; this article is already available through open access or the publisher allows a PDF version of the article to be freely posted online. The library makes the deposit as a matter of fair use (for scholarly, educational, and research purposes), and to preserve the work and further secure public access to the works of the University. | en_US |
| dc.rights.restriction | Open | en_US |
| dc.subject | galaxy: evolution | en_US |
| dc.subject | methods: numerical | en_US |
| dc.subject | white dwarfs | en_US |
| dc.subject | luminosity function | en_US |
| dc.subject | cooling sequence | en_US |
| dc.subject | galactic disk | en_US |
| dc.subject | age | en_US |
| dc.subject | atmospheres | en_US |
| dc.subject | helium | en_US |
| dc.subject | mass | en_US |
| dc.subject | diffusion | en_US |
| dc.subject | stars | en_US |
| dc.subject | astronomy & astrophysics | en_US |
| dc.title | The Spectral Evolution of Convective Mixing White Dwarfs, the Non-DA Gap, and White Dwarf Cosmochronology | en_US |
| dc.type | Article | en_US |